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It is an NL Central showdown as the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Brewers-Pirates prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Yesterday, the Brewers saw their lead in the NL Central shrink after losing to the Pirates. The Brewers, who have lost one of their top bats to injury, started with the lead in the second inning. Back-to-back sacrifice flies in the second inning gave them a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Jack Suwinski would have a two-run home run that drove in Andrew McCutchen to tie the game. Ke'Bryan Hayes would homer in the fifth as well, and McCutchen would drive in an RBI on a double to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead that they would hold onto.
the Brewers are now 76-61 on the year. They have a 2.5-game lead over the Cubs in the race for the NL Central and are 5.5 games in front of the Reds.
Here are the Brewers-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Brewers-Pirates Odds
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (-104)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-115)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Brewers vs. Pirates
TV: BSWI/ATTP
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:35 PM ET/ 3:35 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread
The Brewer's offense struggled for a second straight game yesterday. It was just two runs, and in each of their four last losses, they have scored two runs or fewer. On the year the Brewers are 19th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 27th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, and 28th in slugging. The most recent issue is the lack of run producers on the teams. Willy Adames, Brice Turang, and Mark Canha led the team in the last week with three RBIs each.
Adames is hitting just .053 in the last week though, but does have a .250 on-base percentage. He has just one hit in the last week, but that one hit is a home run that drove in three runs. Meanwhile, he has scored three times as well. Turang is hitting just .150 in the last week with three RBIs. He does not have an extra-base hit and has scored just once. Canha is hitting the best of the group, with a .400 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. He has two doubles and a home run which has led to his three RBIs and three runs scored.
As a whole, the Brewers are hitting just .224 in the last week. They have capitalized on the few chances they have had though, scoring 20 runs on an expected of just 18.
The Brewers sent Brandon Woodruff to the hill today. He is 3-1 on the year with a 2.70 ERA. He has made just seven starts this year, with five of them coming in August. Woodruff was solid on the month, giving up 11 runs in 28.2 innings of work, good for a 3.45 ERA. He has given up more than two runs just once in a start this year. Meanwhile, Woodruff has given up one or fewer runs three times this year.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates offense has been solid as of late. In the last seven games, they have scored four or more runs each time. On the year they are 24th in runs scored, while sitting 26th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 24th in slugging. Jack Suwinski hit his 23rd home run of the season last night, which leads the team. This is good to see considering the power outage he experienced. Since August 29th he has hit two home runs and driven in four runs. From July 24th to August 28th he hit just one home run and had two RBIs.
In the last week, Liover Peguero has been on fire. He is hitting .435 in the last week with a home run and two doubles. Meanwhile, he has four RBIs and has scored five times. Joining him in hitting hot is Andrew McCutchen. He is hitting .375 with a .545 on-base percentage in the last week. He has two doubles and three RBIs with four runs scored. Still, he left the game early yesterday with some tightness and may miss this game.
Providing power in the lineup has been Ke'Bryan Hayes. In the last week, he has two home runs and a triple, while hitting .238. He has an on-base percentage of .304 and has driven in three runs while scoring three times. Overall, the Pirates have been hitting well. They are hitting .243 as a team with a .302 on-base percentage. They have scored 29 times on an expected run score of just 27.3.
Andre Jackson goes to the hill today to make the fourth start of his career. He is 1-1 on the season with a 4.46 ERA. Since coming over from the Dodgers, he has been solid with the Pirates. He has made three starts and three relief appearances. In that time he has pitched 24.4 innings and given up just eight runs. He has given up three home runs though, but has a 2.92 ERA as a member of the Pirates.
Final Brewers-Cubs Prediction & Pick
In the pitching matchup today there is not a major edge. Andre Jackson has been better than Brandon Woodruff in the last month, but there is not a large track record to support sustained success. Meanwhile, the Pirates have lost five of the six games he has made an appearance in. This one may come down to how the offensive performance goes. Overall, the Pirates are hitting better, and have been more consistent as of late. The Brewers have been hit-and-miss recently. In the last ten games, they are 6-4. The Brewers, in the six wins, have scored five or more runs every time. In the four losses, they have scored two or fewer runs. It truly depends on which offense shows up for the Brewers. With how Jackson has been pitching, if he can avoid the long ball, it will be a longer night for the Brewers. They have not been hitting for power well as of late, and that continues tonight.
Final Brewers-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates +1.5 (-115)
